KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — A survey by employment platform JobStreet has revealed the massive impact of Covid-19 to the Malaysian workforce, with nine in 10 respondents saying the pandemic has forced changes to their work.

Taken from approximately 5,000 respondents in May, most described the changes as unfavourable and widespread.

Up to 58 per cent of respondents said they felt they must continue working from home, 48 per cent said the pandemic has hurt their remuneration and salary, while 24 per cent were forced to take leave.

In addition, 66 per cent of respondents experienced an increased scope of work, particularly among higher-paid employees in larger organisations.

This was greatest in the education and manufacturing sectors, which experienced a need for remote learning and greater demand for goods respectively.

In contrast, a decrease in scope of work was felt by employees working in the hospitality/catering sector at 45 per cent, and the architecture/construction sector at 36 per cent.

The survey also indicated that one in three employees reported a salary reduction of more than 30 per cent. Nonetheless despite the removal or reduction of bonuses and a salary dip among full-time employees, they are less vulnerable in terms of retrenchment over the longer term.

As a result, most employees are now concerned with matters related to finances and job security which in turn has led to a decline in job happiness.

The most affected sectors include service-oriented sectors and those with young children. Employees working for small to medium organisations also rated their job happiness as lower.

Last month, official data showed that nearly 800,000 Malaysians were left jobless in April as a result of measures taken to contain the pandemic.

May figures are expected to be worse.